Lady Flyers Come Up Big at Crunch Time Against St. Andrews
Nearly two hours into Wednesday's volleyball match in Laurinburg, Lady Flyer setter Cheyenne Brown softly lifted the ball to her left toward middle hitter Paige Garner. The 5-foot-11 freshman cleverly tipped the ball across the net into an undefended portion of the court to her right for the final touch on a 23-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-15 and 15-11 victory over the St. Andrews University junior varsity.
Not only did Coach Alicia Riggan's squad have its first win of the season after a pair of tough losses, but accomplished the job in come-from-behind fashion.
"We keep telling the girls about their potential," the coach said afterward. "It peaks at times and then it goes away. It's been like a roller coaster.
"We were close in the first two matches. We needed tonight's win to let them believe what we as coaches believe."
Brown finished the match against a Lady Knight squad that included seven varsity players with 47 assists. Garner and Morgan McCarthy gave the Flyers a strong presence in the middle with 15 and 12 kills respectively.
The 45 digs by libero Erica Groff tied a team record established by Morgan Chavis in 2014. Outside hitter Chandler Adams contributed 15 kills and 21 digs. In a match punctuated by long rallies Holly Martindale was credited with 24 digs.
Following practice on Friday the Lady Flyers depart for the Washington D.C. area for matches against Northern Virginia CC and Potomac State College on Saturday.
Leading 23-22 in the first set on Wednesday, the Flyers let it get away by surrendering the next three points. But early in the second, Adams gave them some life with four kills in a row. Later tied at 23-23, Brown and Garner collaborated for the next two points that tied the teams at a set apiece.
The roller coaster ride continued with the home team dispatching the Flyers rather easily to take a 2-1 lead after three sets. But midway through the fourth, with Leah Salzwedel serving, Adams found the floor on the other side four times during a nine point run that gave them a 19-5 lead.
Brown and the other Flyers recognized that Adams had the hot hand and kept swinging the ball around to her on the left side.
"Cheyenne had the good sets and we just pushed through," said Adams who put the ball down in a variety of ways. "You have to be smart on the court and make the other team move around. It's definitely a great feeling to hit the ball and no one touches it."
Riggan added, "Chandler was very good on her shot selection. She plays all the way around so she really doesn't get a break. She is so athletic she makes moves a normal player couldn't do."
The Lady Flyers fell behind 8-3 in the tie-breaker set. With Salzwedel serving again, McCarthy had two big wins at the net to help them draw even at 9-9. The Lady Knights became mistake-prone from there leading up to the winner by Garner.
A product of North Moore High School, Garner talked about the adjustment to the college game. She credits Riggan with expanding her game to be able to see the floor and make the finesse hits.
"It's just a much faster, higher-paced game," she says. "You have to be more aggressive."
Including the weekend matches and home dates against Wake Tech (Wednesday) and Louisburg College (Thursday) next week, the NJCAA Division III Flyers first seven opponents will all have been against Division II and four-year college competition.
The search for consistency of play continues.
"It's all a brain thing," Adams says, "It's all in the mind. If one person gets down we can't let it trickle down. We have to look to the future. It is something we definitely have to stay on top of."
C.Bergmann
Photo By: Donna Ford